Vedder Price is pleased to announce the launch of a novel bitcoin ETF registered and regulated exclusively under the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act). The Hashdex Bitcoin Futures ETF (Fund) differs from existing bitcoin futures ETFs, which are registered and regulated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (Investment Company Act).

The Fund is sponsored by Teucrium Trading. Teucrium offers a range of ETFs focused on providing investors with exposure to alternative markets, including agricultural commodities markets such as wheat and corn.  Vedder Price, led by Shareholder Tom Conner, assisted Teucrium in obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals to launch the Fund.

The first necessary regulatory approval was obtaining stock exchange listing authority from the SEC. The SEC granted approval based in part on arguments that the bitcoin futures market has grown and matured to the extent that its surveillance agreement with the Fund’s listing exchange (NYSE Arca) can reasonably be expected to identify trading abuses.

The Fund was the first of its kind to obtain SEC listing approval. This listing approval has broad industry implications and signals that this type of ETF will continue to be approved by the SEC. In addition, ETF sponsors have contended this approval may open the door for a spot bitcoin ETF because a spot bitcoin ETF would be governed under the same rules as the Fund.

Vedder Price guided Teucrium through the SEC registration process, with the Fund's registration statement being accelerated by the SEC on September 14, 2022. Vedder Price also assisted Teucrium in obtaining necessary approvals from the National Futures Association.

Bulletin Describes SEC Staff’s Expectations Regarding Investment Advisers’ and Broker-Dealers’ Conflicts of Interest

SEC and CFTC Propose Amendments to Form PF for Private Fund Reporting

CFTC Amends Clearing Requirement for Interest Rate Swaps

PCAOB Signs Statement of Protocol on Inspections and Investigations of China and Hong Kong-Based Audit Firms

District Court Issues Order Granting Great-West’s Motion for Sanctions

To celebrate the Chicago Innovation Awards, Intellectual Property Shareholder Angelo Bufalino, along with attorneys Julie Langdon, Sudip Mitra, Joshua Grant and Theodore Gelderman, joined the award winners to ring the Nasdaq closing bell in New York. Prior to the Nasdaq event, the winners attended a networking luncheon at Vedder Price’s New York office, where they shared their products and ideas with our New York attorneys. Chicago is the only city to have its top innovators come together for this annual event, which helps bring attention to the regularly occurring innovation happening in the Chicago region and shines a spotlight on the organizations that make up its vibrant economy. 

The winners of the Chicago Innovation Awards cut across all industries–high-tech and no-tech, for-profit and not-for-profit. Each organization won by addressing an unmet need in the marketplace through a unique solution that provided value to end-users and delivered impact in the marketplace, exceeding market expectations, achieving financial success and improving people’s lives. They emerge from the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Vedder Price is a proud sponsor of the Chicago Innovation Awards.

Vedder Price is pleased to announce that 44 attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. In addition, Shareholder Jennifer Durham King has been named the 2023 Lawyer of the Year in Financial Services Regulation Law, and Shareholder Jeffrey T. Veber has been named the 2023 Lawyer of the Year in Equipment Finance Law.

Chicago, IL

• Angelo J. Bufalino
  Patent Law
  Trademark Law
• Danielle Meltzer Cassel 
  Land Use and Zoning Law
  Real Estate Law
• Thomas P. Cimino, Jr.
  Commercial Litigation
  Family Law
• Sara B. DeBlaze
  Immigration Law 
• Thomas R. Dee
  Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Thomas P. Desmond
  Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Michael M. Eidelman
  Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• James V. Garvey
  Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Arlene N. Gelman
  Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Brett D. Heinrich
  Environmental Law
• David L. Kane
  Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• James M. Kane
  Banking and Finance Law
  Financial Services Regulation Law
• Blaine C. Kimrey
  Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Jennifer Durham King
  *2023 Lawyer of the Year: Financial Services Regulation Law
  Banking and Finance Law
  Financial Services Regulation Law
• Julie L. Langdon
  Litigation – Patent
• Daniel B. Lange
  Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Douglas J. Lipke
  Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Daniel C. McKay II
  Banking and Finance Law
  Financial Services Regulation Law
• James W. Morrissey
  Banking and Finance Law
  Financial Services Regulation Law
• Charles W. Murphy
  Real Estate Law
• Michael A. Nemeroff
  Corporate Law
• Jeanah Park
  Commercial Litigation 
• Robert S. Rigg
  Litigation – Intellectual Property
  Patent Law
• Daniel H. Shulman 
  Patent Law
• Jordan A. Sigale
  Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Robert F. Simon
  Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Kelly A. Starr
  Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• William W. Thorsness
  Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Thomas M. Wilde
  Employment Law – Management
  Labor Law – Management
• Gregory G. Wrobel
  Health Care Law

Dallas, TX

• Jeffrey J. Ansley
  Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Los Angeles, CA

• Erin R. McDonough
  Commercial Litigation
• Anthony Pacheco
  Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Thomas H. Petrides
  Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Candice T. Zee
  Labor Law – Management

New York, NY

• John E. Bradley
  Admiralty and Maritime Law
• Jeffrey T. Veber
  *2023 Lawyer of the Year: Equipment Finance Law
  Equipment Finance Law

San Francisco, CA

• Bradley C. Crawford
  Banking and Finance Law

Washington, DC

• Marguerite Bateman
  Mutual Funds Law
• Amy L. Bess
  Employment Law – Management
  Litigation – Labor and Employment
• W. Thomas Conner
  Mutual Funds Law
• Edward K. Gross
  Equipment Finance Law
• Bruce A. Rosenblum
  Mutual Funds Law
• Kimberly Vargo
  Mutual Funds Law

Additionally, 23 Vedder Price attorneys were named Ones to Watch in 2023. This award recognizes attorneys 5-9 years in practice who exhibit outstanding professional excellence. The rankings are based on an evaluation process that includes client and lawyer evaluations, as well as peer reviews from attorneys in their field.

Chicago, IL 

• Michael L. Basili
  Trusts and Estates 
• John K. Burke
  Intellectual Property Law
  Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Bryan K. Clark
  Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Allison E. Czerniak
  Commercial Litigation 
• Adam S. Goldman
  Banking and Finance Law
• Jillian S. Greenwald
  Banking and Finance Law
  Transportation Law
• Allison B. Hudson
  Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Patrick C. Johnston
  Construction Law 
• Samuel G. Korshak
  Real Estate Law 
• Dana B. Mehlman
  Environmental Law
• Michelle T. Olson
  Labor and Employment Law – Management
• David W. Soden
  Commercial Litigation 
• David N. Swendsen
  Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Madeline V. Tzall
  Commercial Litigation
• Cody J. Vitello
  Corporate Governance and Compliance Law
• Alex C. Weinstein
  Labor and Employment Law – Management
• Brian D. Wendt
  Transportation Law

Dallas, TX

• Katherine M. Devlin
  Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Arianna G. Goodman
  Commercial Litigation
  Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Nathan M. Telep
  Corporate Law

Los Angeles, CA

• Gregory Ge
  Corporate Law 
• Ashley D. Stein
  Labor and Employment Law – Management
  Washington, DC

Washington, DC

• Tamara Droubi
  Government Relations Practice

For more information, please visit www.bestlawyers.com (Registration Required)

Vedder Price is pleased to announce the launch of a novel bitcoin ETF registered and regulated exclusively under the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act). The Hashdex Bitcoin Futures ETF (Fund) differs from existing bitcoin futures ETFs, which are registered and regulated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (Investment Company Act).

The Fund is sponsored by Teucrium Trading. Teucrium offers a range of ETFs focused on providing investors with exposure to alternative markets, including agricultural commodities markets such as wheat and corn.  Vedder Price, led by Shareholder Tom Conner, assisted Teucrium in obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals to launch the Fund.

The first necessary regulatory approval was obtaining stock exchange listing authority from the SEC. The SEC granted approval based in part on arguments that the bitcoin futures market has grown and matured to the extent that its surveillance agreement with the Fund’s listing exchange (NYSE Arca) can reasonably be expected to identify trading abuses.

The Fund was the first of its kind to obtain SEC listing approval. This listing approval has broad industry implications and signals that this type of ETF will continue to be approved by the SEC. In addition, ETF sponsors have contended this approval may open the door for a spot bitcoin ETF because a spot bitcoin ETF would be governed under the same rules as the Fund.

Vedder Price guided Teucrium through the SEC registration process, with the Fund's registration statement being accelerated by the SEC on September 14, 2022. Vedder Price also assisted Teucrium in obtaining necessary approvals from the National Futures Association.

Bulletin Describes SEC Staff’s Expectations Regarding Investment Advisers’ and Broker-Dealers’ Conflicts of Interest

SEC and CFTC Propose Amendments to Form PF for Private Fund Reporting

CFTC Amends Clearing Requirement for Interest Rate Swaps

PCAOB Signs Statement of Protocol on Inspections and Investigations of China and Hong Kong-Based Audit Firms

District Court Issues Order Granting Great-West’s Motion for Sanctions

Please join us for a complimentary half-day conference presented by the Financial Institutions Group of Vedder Price. We hope to see you there!

Event Details

Thursday, December 8 | 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. CT

Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres to follow the conclusion of the program.

Butterfield Country Club
2800 Midwest Road
Oak Brook, IL 60523

Panels

M&A and Capital Formation Update

Bill Burgess
Co-Head and Managing Director, Investment Banking Financial Services Group
Piper Sandler & Co.

Allen G. Laufenberg
Managing Director, Investment Banking
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, A Stifel Company

The State of the Economy

Jason Turner
Chief Investment Strategist & Head of Multi-Asset Strategy
Wintrust Wealth Management

Latest Developments from the FinTech Arena

Chris Keaveney
Co-Founder and CEO
Meritize Financial

Craig Rismiller
SVP, Business Development and Strategic Partnerships
Amount

Midterm Election Results: Impacts on Banking

Randy Hultgren, Former U.S. Representative
President and CEO
Illinois Bankers Association

CLE Credit Pending

Vedder Price is an accredited CLE provider in California, Illinois, and New York; and, when possible, a sponsor in Texas and Virginia.

Shareholder and member of the firm’s Intellectual Property group Julie L. Langdon will act as a panelist for the upcoming ChiWIP Intellectual Property Litigation Bootcamp. Ms. Langdon will join other IP litigators and industry experts to host sessions on all aspects of the litigation process, from filing a complaint through preparing for trial, with a specialized breakout session for attorneys focused on trademark litigation and another for patent litigation. 

The event will be held in Chicago on Thursday, November 10. For more information, click here.